Center Methodist Church
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Center Methodist Church
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The church steeple's renovations are nearly complete, and the steeple was reinstalled on July 26, 2007
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| Location | 356 Commercial St Provincetown, Massachusetts |
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| Coordinates | 42°3′11.88″N 70°11′3.48″W / 42.0533000°N 70.1843000°WCoordinates: 42°3′11.88″N 70°11′3.48″W / 42.0533000°N 70.1843000°W |
| Part of | Provincetown Historic District (#89001148) |
| NRHP Reference # | 75000247 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 31, 1975 |
| Designated CP | August 30, 1989 |
The Center Methodist Church or Center Methodist Episcopal Church is located in Provincetown, Massachusetts at 356 Commercial Street. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The church moved to a new building in 1955, and the building has changed hands several times since. It is currently the home of the Provincetown Public Library.
Evolution of Provincetown Landmark:
The church was built in 1860. It was said to be the largest church of Methodist denomination anywhere in the United States. It cost $22,000 to complete, and had room to seat 900 people in 128 pews. The original spire was 162 feet tall and contained a huge bronze bell cast by George Holbrook in Eastmeadow, Massachusetts, according to a history of Provincetown Methodists done in 1995 by the Provincetown Methodist congregation's 200th Anniversary Committee. The steeple was weakened and damaged in the Portland Gale, and so a new steeple, restored in 2007, was reduced to be 100 feet off the ground. Yet, according to the Provincetown Banner, the local newspaper:
"Even today looking from the end of MacMillan Wharf towards town, the building is one of the most prominent on the skyline.
In 1958, the building was sold for $40,000 to Walter P. Chrysler Jr. – the son of Walter Chrysler, the founder of the Chrysler Corporation – for use as the Chrysler Art Museum of Provincetown. During this period he collected many works by local artists. In 1962, however, his collection became embroiled in a scandal in the art community. That summer, the museum housed an exhibition from his collection entitled "The Controversial Century: 1850–1950". Out of the 187 works displayed, 90 were claimed to be forgeries by the Art Dealers Association of America. Among the declared fakes were works purported to be by Henri Matisse, Vincent van Gogh (4 of the 5 shown), Pierre Bonnard and Paul Klee. Most of the suspect works had been purchased over a two-year period from two New York dealers. Mr. Chrysler defended his acquisitions and their veracity, saying, "I don't make any claim for their being the greatest examples of each artist, but we can't look at masterpieces all the time. I think that would be rather dull."
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